NHD stands for National History Day. Once again, this year Eleanor Roosevelt has participated and the presentations took place on Thursday, January 15th. NHD is a nationwide event targeted to help students and teachers better understand and teach history. Similar to Science Fair, it allows students to dive deep into a topic of interest and practice skills such as research, comprehension, time management, etc., in a professional setting. Each year there is a different theme and this year’s theme was revolution, reaction, and reform and students have spent the past few months preparing.

Students chose between one of five project types. Each project type has its own criteria and constraints that each participant follows to guide their project. The options are documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. Most categories also have the option to work independently or with a group. 

This project certainly isn’t easy. While a paper may seem like a straightforward and painless project option, that isn’t always the case. Macaela Crowley, a sophomore student who did a paper for her NHD project says, “I wouldnt say it was easy…the hardest part was organizing all the information into one clear paper.” Those who did a website faced a different set of challanges. Camryn Ligons, a freshman who did a website says, “the most difficult thing was trying to navigate the website builder.” All participants who do a website must use NHDWeb Central to build their site. As stated by Ligons, this isn’t easy and it takes time to get used to the software. Lawrencia Odoemena a sophomore who did an exhibit says, “The most difficult part of this project was trying to minimize the word count.” With an exhibit, the board has a limit of 500 words. Keeping this restraint is extremely difficult with the number of primary sources necessary to prove a thesis. 

NHD isn’t just a long and restrictive research project; there are aspects of this project that many find enjoyable. Crowley did her paper on the origins of Greenbelt and she says, “the most fun part was researching Greenbelt since it’s my hometown.” Similarly Ligon says the most fun part of this project was “diving deep into learning about an event that I was actually interested in.” The project lasts several months, so choosing a topic that you find interesting and won’t get tired of is crucial to succeed. This project also doesn’t have to be a solo mission. Odoemena worked on her exhibit in a group and she says the most fun part was “meeting up to put everything together.” Keep in mind that, like all projects, working in a group can come with challenges especially with a project as big as this one. So be careful with who you choose to work with.

If you find yourself having to do NHD keep these tips in mind. Choose a topic you’re interested in, stay organized, and don’t procrastinate. Most importantly good luck!